Regulating valve for carburetors



Jan. 19, 1937. E. T. coNDoN REGULATING VALVE FOR'CARBURETOR Filed Nov. 14, 1953 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1937 Ul'lE STATES Orrin PATE;

5 Claims.

The invention relates to an air regulating device for use with the carburetors of internal combustion engines, and more especially to an automatic air controlling device for regulating the supply of air to the carburetor in accordance with the variations of load placed upon the internal combustion engine which may be of the conventional type and with which the carburetor is associated in the usual manner in supplying fuel thereto for its operation.

I am aware that it has been proposed to associate with the carburetor of an internal combustion engine means located within the air intake passage of the carburetor in the' nature of a swinging disk or butterfly valve, said means being actuated by a pneumatic device controlled in accordance with the fluctuations of the pressure prevailing in a connection, or the engine manifold, between the throttle valve of the carburetor and the said engine. In the use of these means, however, it has been the practice to install a blocking butterfly valve which is of substantially the same diameter as the internal diameter of the air intake passage and within which said valve is mounted to swing. In other words, it constituted an auxiliary choke serving under certain conditions to cut off fully the introduction of air to the carburetor. This, I have found, will render the carburetor ineffective for maintaining operation of the engine under all conditions, particularly at the higher speeds and under which conditions the pressure in the controlling space, and as a result of which the valve is actuated, rises substantially to atmospheric pressure so that practical closing-olf of the air supply to the carburetor results from the positioning of the regulating valve. The exceeding- 1y rich mixture then supplied to the engine thus not only causes it to stall but will so flood the carburetor that restarting of the hot engine will be difficult, if not impossible, until it has again cooled.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a regulating Valve device for use with carburetors and whereby, while the air supply through the valve is variable in accordance with the demands of the engine, the device will nevertheless provide for a predetermined and ample supply of air to obviate under all operating conditions any stalling of the engine as well as affording instantaneous starting when the engine is hot, and to afford at the same time a means for cutting off substantially all of the air as for starting the engine when it is cold.

In the accompanying drawing, which illus- (ci. 12s-119) trates ra practical embodiment of my invention, Fig. l is a fragmentary view of an engine head, including the carburetor, (both shown in phantom lines) with the novel regulating device associated with the carburetor and engine and indicated in full lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the novel regulating device.

Fig. 3 is a plan thereof, but with the regulating members shown in cooperating position to close off the air supply.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section illustrating the relative positions of the valve member and choke ring during operation of the englIle.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawing, the inter- .nal combustion engine is indicated at I0, the

same being provided with the usual manifold I I for receiving properly atomized liquid fuel derived from the carburetor I2 which is equipped with the usual throttle valve I3 for supplying the engine with the required quantity of fuel. The novel regulating valve, indicated by the full lines, is shown-installed at the outer end of the air intake passageway Ill of the carburetor.

This is conveniently effected'by means of a sleeve or adapter member I5 of the regulating device being fitted within the said outer end of said air intake passageway IB. The adapter member is preferably made as a unit, separable from the casing I6 of the regulator valve device, having a close t within the inte-rior of the passageway I4; and is secured in position by set screws I1 passing through the Wall of the said adapter.

The casing I6 is tubular in form, having the through passageway I8; and there is mounted between the ends of the same a circular disk or regulator member IS which is designed to be angularly movable or variously locatable therein with reference to the air flow, as through trunnions carried in the bearings and 2l rotatably mounted in the casing.

Movement for displacing this disk angularly is obtained from a piston reciprocable within a cylinder 26 in accordance with the pressure prevailing in the connection between the throttle valve I3 and the engine, for example in the manifold Il. To this end, a connection 2'I is taken from the one end 28rof the cylinder 26 to the said manifold II, the said cylinder being preferably formed as a unit with the said casing I6.

The piston rod 29 connected to piston 25 eX- tends beyond the opposite end of cylinder 26 and a spring 3@ coiled about the outer end tends to bias the piston in a direction to maintain the disk or butterfly valve I9 in a position transverse to the passageway I8 through cylindrical casing i6, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

However, when the pressure within cylinder 26 falls below atmospheric pressure due to the production oi more or less of a vacuum in the manifold space, piston 25 is advanced in its cylinder 23 carrying the rod 29 with it, and the motion of the latter is communicated to the butterfly valve I9 through intermediate connecting means including the crank-arm 3l forming an extension of the trunnion or" the butterfly valve, and an arm 32 pivoted to said crank-arm. By this expedient,

the reciprocations of the piston 25 will be oom- Inunicated to the butterfly valve I9 to yswing the same through an angle of degrees or Vfrom a position transverse to the passageway i8 to a position (shown in Fig. 4) parallel to the axis of said passageway, the said valve assuming various intermediate positions and thus controlling the admission of air through the said passageway and to the carburetor.

However, in accordance with the invention, the butterfly valve i9 is so constructed that it will not completely shut oi the supply of air through the said passageway lont provides for a predetermined leakage past or through the said valve. To this end, its diameter may be made susbtantially less than the cross-sectional area of the said passageway so as to accord a permanently open area or annulus 33, as between the circumference of said disk and the inner casing wall. This will admit of the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said disk, while its particular angular position will determine the introduction of additional air to the carburetor in accordance with the demands of the engine.

In addition, provision is made for temporarily closing off the annular space 33 about the disk or buttery valve I9 so that, for example, in starting the engine cold the benefit of a substantially full choke may be had. To this end, the rotatable bearings 2li, 2|, carry an annular member or choke ring 34, concentric with the butterily valve l@ and circumscribing the same, said ring being of a width substantially equal to the width of the annulus 33. During operation of the engine this choke ring will be positioned under the action of a biasing spring 35 to a location, Figs. 2 and 4, parallel to the iiow direction through the casing, and it will thus be substantially Without effect upon the flow. The position of the choke ring may also be altered, for the purpose hereinafter set forth, by acting on the arm 36, connected to bearing 20, either manually or thermostatically, as is well understood in the art. No claim, however, is made herein to the particular manner of controlling the position of ring 34, the invention contemplating solely the provision of the said choke ring and its cooperation with the disk to eifect a substantial closure, Fig. 2, of the passageway 48 when, for example, it is desired to start a cold engine.

In initially adjusting the valve position, the disk I9 is set substantially vertical or parallel to the air now so as to aord the correct and leanest possible proportions of air and atomized fuel for idling operation of the engine; .and the minimum area of opening represented by annulus 33 is so selected that proper combinations of fuel and air will be maintained at high speeds of the engine. This minimum area will be approximately from 35% to 40% of the cross-Sectional area of the casing.

Thus, by running the engine at idling speed with full opening of the valve member in accordance with the pressure prevailing in the engine manifold, the proportionate area or areas of the fuel jet or jets of the carburetor may be adjusted to suit. This will determine the correct proportions at the various engine speeds and will securecorrect and complete oarburetion throughout so as to eliminate production of carbon monoxide in the engine exhaust. It is to be noted, also, that with the novel device installed the response to any change in fuel demand will be rapid and without substantial lag.

When a particularly rich mixture is required as in starting the engine cold, the choke ring 34 will be manually positioned transversely to the passageway I8, as indicated in Fig. 3; and the disk I 9 (initially horizontal) will with ring 34 temporarily cut 01T the iniiow of air through the air intake passage of the carburetor until suiicient vacuum is set up in the cylinder 28 to overcome the spring pressure exerted by spring 30. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the usual choke valve of a carburetor may be dispensed with, as the ring 35i in cooperation with the disk I may serve to eiectively block temporarily all admission of air to said carburetor.

I claim:

l. The combination with a carburetor having an air intake passage and a throttle valve and adapted for use with an internal combustion engine provided with an intake'pipe, of a regulating valve for the air supplied to the carburetor, said valve comprising a casing having a through passageway and adapted to be tted to the carburetor air intake passage, pneumatically operating means associated with the casing adapted for communication with the engine intake pipe beyond the throttle valve of the carburetor, a valve member movably mounted within the casing to swing about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said casing and of an eiiective area substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the casing passageway to afford a predetermined circular opening for the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said valve member, means connecting the latter with the pneumatically operating means, and a member movably mounted within the casing adapted to fit within the predetermined opening provided by the said valve member to cut ofi substantially the flow of air through the said casing, and means to bias said movably mounted member to normally position the same parallel to the flow through the casing.

2. The combination with a carburetor having an air intake passage and a throttle valve and adapted for use with an internal combustion engine provided with an intake pipe, of a regulating valve for the air supplied to the carburetor, said valve comprising a casing having a through passageway and adapted to be tted to the carburetor air intake passage, pneumatically operating means associated with the casing adapted for communication with the engine intake pipe beyond the throttle valve of the carburetor, a circular valve member rotatably mounted within the casing and of a diameter substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the casing passageway to afford a predetermined annular opening for the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said valve member, means connecting the latter with the pneumatically operating means, and a choke ring, rotatably mounted Within the casing about the said I Valve member and adapted to fit within the annular opening provided thereby to cut off with the valve member ow of air through the said casing, and means to bias said choke ring to normally position the same parallel to the flow through the casing.

3. The combination with a carburetor having an air intake passage and a throttle valve and adapted for use with an internal combustion engine provided with an intake pipe, of a regulating valve for the air supplied to the carburetor, said valve comprising a casing having a through passageway and adapted to be tted to the carburetor air intake passage, pneumatically operating means associated with the casing adapted for communication with the engine intake pipe beyond the throttle valve of the carburetor, a circular valve member rotatably mounted within the casing and of a diameter substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the casing passageway to aiTord a predetermined annular opening for the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said valve member, means connecting the latter with the pneumatically operating means, and a choke ring rotatably mounted within the casing and concentric with the said valve member to circumscribe the latter and co-operate therewith for closing the annular opening provided thereby and cut off iiow of air through the casing, and means to bias said choke ring to normally position the same parallel to the flow through the casing.

4. The combination with a carburetor having an air intake passage and a throttle Valve and adapted for use with an internal combustion engine provided with an intake pipe, of a regulating valve for the air supplied to the carburetor, said valve comprising a casing having a through passageway and adapted to be tted to the carburetor air intake passage, pneumatically operating means associated with the casing adapted for communication with the engine intake pipe beyond the throttle valve of the carburetor, a circular valve member, trunnions extending radially of the valve member to support the same within the casing, said valve member being of a diameter substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the casing passageway to afford a predetermined annular opening for the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said valve member, means connecting the latter With the pneumatically operating means, rotatable bearings for the trunnions of said valve member, and a choke ring carried by the said trunnions, concentric with the said valve member to circumscribe the latter and cooperate therewith for closing the annular opening provided thereby and cut 01T flow of air through the casing, and means to bias said choke ring to normally position the same parallel to the flow through the casing.

5. The combination with a carburetor having an air intake passage and a throttle valve and adapted for use with an internal combustion engine provided with an intake pipe, of a regulating valve for the air supplied to the carburetor, said valve comprising a casing having a through passageway and adapted to be tted to the carburetor air intake passage, pneumatically operating means associated with the casing adapted for communication with the engine intake pipe beyond the throttle valve of the carburetor, a circular valve member rotatably mounted within the casing and of a diameter substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the casing passagewayV to afford a predetermined annular opening for the introduction of air to the carburetor irrespective of the position of said valve member, means connecting the latter with the pneumatically operating means, a choke vring rotatably mounted within the casing and concentric with Vthe said valve member to circumscribe the latter and cooperate therewith for closing the annular opening provided thereby and cut off flow of air through the casing, said ring in its normal position being biased to a position parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casing and substantially at right angles to the valve member When the engine is inoperative.

EDWARD T. CONDON. 

